British International Investment Commits $7.5 Million to Boost Babban Gona’s Agri-Tech Drive in Nigeria
The British International Investment (BII), the United Kingdom’s development finance institution, has obtained approval to commit $7.5 million to Babban Gona, a leading Nigerian agri-tech platform transforming smallholder farming.
This milestone was disclosed on Tuesday in Lagos by the British Deputy High Commissioner, Jonny Baxter, during a press briefing monitored by PulseNets.
According to him, the investment is targeted at strengthening food security, climate resilience, and boosting the productivity of smallholder farmers in Northern Nigeria.
Mr Baxter told PulseNets that the funding would “tackle critical barriers facing smallholder farmers, particularly limited access to finance, poor-quality inputs, insufficient agronomic training, and the lack of reliable markets.”
He further explained that although Northern Nigeria produces about 60 percent of Nigeria’s maize, farmers in the region are still grappling with low productivity, flooding, drought, and climate-induced risks.
“These structural constraints worsen post-harvest losses of nearly 30 percent, threatening yields, incomes, and deepening food insecurity,” Baxter stressed.
British International Investment Strengthens Climate Resilience
PulseNets learnt that Babban Gona has designed a comprehensive AI-powered platform that delivers end-to-end services to overcome these barriers. Mr Baxter noted that this support includes climate-smart agricultural inputs, access to credit, farmer training, and post-harvest solutions such as storage and guaranteed market access.
Highlighting Babban Gona’s innovative franchise model, Baxter reported: “The platform enables top-performing farmers to run micro-enterprises that deliver inputs and financing to their peers, while also linking them to local banking systems. Through this model, Babban Gona is expected to enhance yields, raise incomes, and build climate resilience for around 140,000 smallholder farmers in Northern Nigeria by 2029.”
A key focus of the BII investment, Baxter told PulseNets, is strengthening climate resilience. He revealed that the package will introduce drought-resistant seeds and multi-peril yield insurance to help farmers recover quickly from climate shocks.
“This investment perfectly aligns with BII’s broader mandate to empower rural communities in underserved regions while expanding its footprint in innovative agricultural ventures, building on recent partnerships with AgDevCo and Johnvents,” he added.
Also speaking, the UK Trade Envoy to Nigeria, Florence Eshalomi, expressed pride in joining BII to announce the landmark funding.
“We are proud to stand with British International Investment in unveiling a $7.5 million boost for Babban Gona. This transformative partnership will scale a tech-driven model that gives farmers finance, training, and support designed to boost yields, increase incomes, and fortify climate resilience,” she explained.
Ms Eshalomi recalled the UK’s early backing of Babban Gona through Propcom Maikarfi, stating that the current milestone shows what sustained investment in Nigerian agriculture can deliver.
“This collaboration reflects the strong UK-Nigeria commitment to inclusive and sustainable growth. I look forward to seeing the long-term impact this will generate,” she noted.
In his remarks, Babban Gona’s Managing Director, Kola Masha, credited the British government for playing a pivotal role in the company’s rise.
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“The UK was the first institutional investor in our 2013 public debt raise, and more than a decade later, BII is investing an amount ten times larger. This is a powerful testament to our shared vision of improving the lives of smallholder farmers,” Masha said.
He told PulseNets that Babban Gona was eager to “partner with BII in this next phase of its journey, with the ambition of becoming one of the most impactful businesses in the world.”
